CleanWell: All-natural hand sanitizer

I'm a well-documented lover of hand sanitizer, but I can't say I'm fond of the alcohol smell or the sting that comes along with it (if you have a little scrape on your hand, and what kid doesn't).

The folks at CleanWell recently sent me some samples of their all-natural hand sanitizer, and I was pleased with the results -- clean, soft hands that smell of herbs and lemon. Pricey (surprised?), but a nice alternative for those who are concerned about the chemicals in the standard drugstore offerings.

By the way, the CleanWell blog supports the validity of the 5-Second Rule!

More: Hacks for public restrooms and hand sanitizer

Comments

[Mandy]

You can make a good natural hand sanitizer, for cheap, by mixing tea tree oil and aloe vera gel.

[Nathan]

I'm not a big fan of hand sanitizer. For one, it kills the good bacteria along with the bad, leading to chapped and unhealthy skin.

For another, washing hands with normal soap and hot water for 20 seconds is just as effective and a lot cheaper.

We get our daughter -- 2 and a half -- to wash after every potty break, and am trying to get her to wash as long as it takes her to sing the alphabet.

That makes the chore more fun, gets her hands clean and reinforces the alphabet.

Except for the elemenohpee letter in the middle that she still needs to separate out! :-)

[elsimom]

I have read a few things indicating that sanitizers are only effective if they are at least 60% alcohol (some cheaper versions with less alcohol have been found to be ineffective). Anyone know whether this "sanitizer" actually kills germs, or is just a hand lotion?

[wwbd]

I got a sample of this and love it. It smells great and doesn't leave your hands feeling sticky like some other hand sanitizers.

[Holly]

Hi there - my name is Holly and I work at CleanWell. First, Nathan is absolutely right - soap and water are the "gold standard" when it comes to cleaning hands. When you can get to a sink that should absolutely be your choice. Hand santizers are for when you can't get to clean sink.

And CleanWell does kill 99.99% of germs like ecoli, staph, etc. Please check this link out for more info http://www.cleanwelltoday.com/downloads/CleanWell_Ingenium_Techbrief.pdf

[Amber]

The website says it uses thyme as a main active ingredient, and from the reviews it smells lemony. I'm gathering that they use Lemon Thyme, which is a very strong smelling herb. I love it and grow it organically in my container garden.